Journal Article

Large-Area Three-Dimensional Molecular Ordering of a Polymer Brush by One-Step Processing

Fukushima, Takanori, Takata, Masaki, Hosono, Nobuhiko, Ito, Kazuki, Aida, Takuzo, Kajitani, Takashi, Sasaki, Sono

2010

Overview

Rational molecular design and processing, enabling large-area molecular ordering, are important for creating high-performance organic materials and devices. We show that, upon one-step hot-pressing with uniaxially stretched Teflon sheets, a polymer brush carrying azobenzene-containing mesogenic side chains self-assembles into a freestanding film, where the polymer backbone aligns homeotropically to the film plane and the side chains align horizontally. Such an ordered structure forms through translation of a one-dimensional molecular order of the Teflon sheet and propagates from the interface macroscopically on both sides of the film. The resultant wide-area bimorph configuration allows the polymer film to bend rapidly and reversibly when the azobenzene units are photoisomerized. The combination of polymer brushes with hot-pressing and Teflon sheets provides many possibilities in designing functional soft materials.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Alignment / Applied sciences / Bending / Bimorphs / Biomedical engineering / Brushes / Chains (polymeric) / Cooling / Exact sciences and technology / films (materials) / Irradiation / Kinesiology / Light / Material films / Materials / Molecular biology / Molecules / Order disorder / Organic polymers / Photographic film / Physicochemistry of polymers / Polymeric films / Polymers / Polymers with particular structures / polytetrafluoroethylene / Polytetrafluoroethylenes / Preparation, kinetics, thermodynamics, mechanism and catalysts / Resultants / Translations / X ray film